How to Remove Blood Stains from Fabric

To remove blood stains from fabric, act quickly to prevent the stain from becoming set in. Once set, the blood becomes more difficult to remove.

The University of Missouri considers blood stain a type of protein stain. Blood stains differ from other protein stains in that you should only treat blood stains with cold water. The use of warm or hot water will set the stain into the fabric. Immediately running cold water over a blood stain, placing the fabric in cold water or placing a cold, wet towel over a blood stain are the first steps to being able to successfully remove a blood stain. If you need to step away for a moment, taking the time to first wet the stain will help in the removal process later.

Removing Blood Stains from Washable Fabrics

Immediately rinse the fabric under cold running water.

If the stain is fresh and wet, pretreat by soaking for 15 minutes in a mixture of one quart of cool water, one half-teaspoon mild dishwashing liquid and one tablespoon ammonia.

After 15 minutes, rub the stain gently from the back side.

Soak for another 15 minutes.

Rinse well under cool running water.

If the blood stain remains:

Soak in an enzyme product prepared according to the product label.

Soak the material for at least 30 minutes up to several hours.

Wash in cold water.

If the stain persists, wash using color-safe bleach according to the product label.

Hopefully these steps to remove blood stains help you get the blood out. Let us know if you have any questions.